WND EXCLUSIVE

Stockman sues pro-Cornyn PAC for libel

GOP fight for Texas Senate seat gets ugly

Garth Kant is WND Washington news editor. Previously, he spent five years writing, copy-editing and producing at "CNN Headline News," three years writing, copy-editing and training writers at MSNBC, and also served several local TV newsrooms as producer, executive producer and assistant news director. His most recent book is "Capitol Crime: Washington's cover-up of the Killing of Miriam Carey." He also is the author of the McGraw-Hill textbook, "How to Write Television News."

A copy of the original petition for libel, announced by Stockman Friday evening and provided exclusively to WND, reads, “This case involves some of the most outrageous, malicious defamation ever recorded in Harris County.”

WND broke the news on Dec. 9, 2013, that tea-party favorite Stockman would mount a primary challenge against Cornyn, who, as minority whip, is the GOP’s No. 2 man in the Senate.

The accusations Stockman levels against Cornyn’s supporters are serious, as are the accusations Cornyn’s PAC made against Stockman.

According to Stockman, the Cornyn PAC operating under the name “Texans for a Conservative Majority” claims Stockman had been “jailed more than once,” was “charged with a felony” and “violated federal ethics laws.”

Stockman says all of those are false statements.

“The Cornyn supporters have committed libel per se against me, falsely and maliciously accusing me of a felony. Of course, I have never been charged with or committed any such act, and these anonymous Cornyn supporters know it,” said Stockman.

He added, “As a sitting member of the United States Congress, I find it unconscionable that another member’s supporters would make such reckless, malicious and false allegations.”

Stockman said a website set up by the super PAC even falsifies his voting record, claiming he voted against a food-stamp reform bill (2013 House Roll Call Vote 476) when he actually voted for it. Stockman claims the group continues to promote that statement online, even though it has been provided with the official congressional record showing it to be false.

Rep. Steve Stockman, R-Texas

Stockman said the group is run by former Cornyn staffer Randy Cubriel and funded by a $2 million check from the late Robert Perry, a $185,000 donor to Cornyn and advocate for immigration amnesty.

The congressman’s office said, in TV-station records for its ad buys, that the group lists Karl Rove’s Warrenton, Va., address.

“The operators of this big-money PAC, who are supporters of John Cornyn, set it up for the sole purpose of a smear campaign all too familiar to American voters. Then, they hide behind the PAC they set up,” Stockman said.

“This time, these Cornyn supporters have gone too far. And I’m sure that John Cornyn would agree.

“By law, Sen. Cornyn cannot authorize nor coordinate his campaign activities with the PAC. I, therefore, call upon Sen. Cornyn to publicly denounce the defamatory tactics of his supporters who are hiding behind Texans for a Conservative Majority.

“Voters are entitled to more from their elected officials than secretive smear-campaigners who operate PACs. It’s time that men like John Cornyn join with me in condemning reckless and malicious defamation by misleadingly named groups like Texans for a Conservative Majority.”

The libel petition claims the “defendant repeatedly and willfully published outlandish statements” that were “false and defamatory” and are “being advertised on heavily repeated television advertisements.”